Chapter 25: Yin Spirit

It was only the third day of the new year, yet Sanyin Temple had regained its vitality; the three cheap Apprentices of Master Chen had all returned to the temple to wait, not daring to continue their wild wandering outside.

To leave their master alone in the temple—they truly did not value their lives.

"If I need to reach Fuhu Altar by the fifteenth, I must set off on the twelfth. I wonder if I can open another aperture before leaving. It's just that when practicing Three Yin True Qi last night, I kept feeling gusts of cold wind on my back and felt uneasy. What is going on?"

While refining Essence Refining, Chen Ci wondered if it was because the temple lacked human presence, leading to an excess of Yin Qi.

With nine days left, there should be no major issues with the assistance of Abyssal Sinking Sand. Chen Ci could also feel that his True Qi cultivation seemed to be just one thin layer away from advancing; it would happen within these few days.

There were already ninety-six drops of Essence Refining in the Spirit Nourishing Bottle; originally, refining four more would complete the monthly offering.

However, thinking that Hutou Daoren was a powerhouse who might potentially attain an Upper Grade Dao Foundation, Chen Ci decided to put in more effort and increase the number of drops to one hundred and twenty, treating it as a first meeting gift.

If Hutou Daoren truly forged an Upper Grade Dao Foundation in the future, perhaps his Sanyin Temple would have to hang around with such a big shot.

"End practice!"

Chen Ci glanced at the Five Yin Evil Qi Bag; the little thing spat out the Essence Refining reluctantly, which fell heavily into the Spirit Nourishing Bottle.

The originally deep red Spirit Nourishing Bottle had now turned completely dark red, feeling heavy in his hand—likely weighing several catties—and even the wooden stopper made of Yin Locust wood was stained with a thin layer of crimson, as if blood mist were dancing upon it.

Want to taste it.

A strange thought emerged in his heart for no reason.

"Forget it, it probably tastes just like duck or pig blood; without a spicy hot pot, it's pointless."

Chen Ci shook his head and put away the Spirit Nourishing Bottle; in another four or five days, the Essence Refining would be ready.

As usual, after practicing his methods, he spent a while practicing the Stone Lock Hunyuan Art to stretch his muscles and bones, then Chen Ci drew his Spirit Iron Short Sword and began practicing Basic Sword Technique.

To be honest, practicing sword techniques daily had become one of the few ways he could relax outside of his cultivation.

There was no helping it; he wasn't very good at zither, chess, calligraphy, or painting, and he didn't care to touch poison or gambling, so he just drew talismans at noon, practiced sword techniques in the afternoon, and practiced his pill method while cooking to maintain the appearance of a life.

Stone Lock Hunyuan Art: 35/100

Basic Sword Technique: Proficient/71/100

Chen Ci withdrew the short sword, glanced at the panel, and nodded with satisfaction.

If nothing else, by next month, his Basic Sword Technique would advance another stage; even if they were mundane basic sword moves, if he could reach Great Completion, they should still be of some use in the early stages of Qi Refining.

Still the same saying: practicing sword techniques is truly cool.

Late at night, in the backyard of Sanyin Temple.

Chen Ci was absorbing the spiritual energy from the Abyssal Sinking Sand while circulating the Three Yin True Qi within his body to improve his cultivation.

But suddenly, he felt as if something was watching him.

Hm?

Chen Ci opened his eyes abruptly, forcibly stopping the circulating Three Yin True Qi, and couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, as if his chest had been struck by a hammer.

"Is this... an illusion during practice? Have I been practicing the Three Yin Qi Consumption Method too fiercely lately?"

Chen Ci pressed his hand against the Five Yin Evil Qi Bag, focused his mind, and first jumped onto the ten-foot-high courtyard wall to look around. It was already past the Hour of the Rat, and Sanyin Temple was already a remote place; there wasn't even a shadow of a person, let alone a ghost, to be seen. Even crawling insects and wild beasts would consciously avoid this Yin ground in the backyard; there was nothing but the whistling cold wind.

Chen Ci subconsciously touched his arm; it seemed he had developed some goosebumps.

No, even if a ghost really came, it wasn't certain who would be afraid of whom!

Jumping back into the courtyard, the large backyard only had a single Corpse Ganoderma growing near the center. His predecessor had raised six in total, treasuring them for years, but Chen Ci had ruined five of them in succession as soon as he arrived, leaving only the smallest one as a memento.

Ahem, it was mainly because he thought that when he started the Small Heavens Qi Absorption Pill Method, he could have some pill materials to practice with and test the quality.

Chen Ci examined the Corpse Ganoderma for a few moments; it was no different from usual. He then assumed he was just being overly sensitive, gave a self-deprecating smile, and continued to sit cross-legged to consume Qi and practice his method.

But after the True Qi had circulated for a few cycles, that feeling of being watched from the void emerged again. Chen Ci suddenly turned his head to look at the Corpse Ganoderma. Beneath the loose soil where the Corpse Ganoderma was rooted, half a rotting eyeball was rolling around, quietly staring at him, half-hidden and half-exposed, with a playful expression.

Hee hee!

"What the hell!"

Chen Ci, who had long since held a Soul Fixing Talisman in his sleeve, was ready to strike, but he forcibly stopped himself.

In the time it took to be startled, it was as if his vision blurred; the loose soil under the Corpse Ganoderma was clearly solid—there was no eyeball watching him at all.

"What the hell~ This is way more exciting than killing people and destroying their bodies last time~"

Chen Ci wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. After arriving in this cultivation world, he had made many contingency plans and psychological preparations.

For example, what to do the first time he killed someone.

What to do if he encountered a female ghost collecting Yang energy.

What to do if he encountered a fairy who had been drugged with Joyous Powder.

What to do if he encountered a female demon who wanted to harvest his essence.

But actually running into something evil and suspecting it was a ghost, his heart was still a bit panicked.

Chen Ci carefully walked to the Corpse Ganoderma and stepped on the ground; it was very solid.

Corpses were indeed buried underneath to nourish Yin Qi and Corpse Qi, and there were quite a few of them. At first, when he had just come to the backyard to practice, his hair would stand on end, but after so long, he had long since gotten used to it.

"Not a fierce ghost; a fierce ghost would have jumped out long ago and wouldn't play these little tricks. So, is it a wandering Yin spirit?"

Chen Ci slapped a Soul Fixing Talisman onto himself. As a scorching sensation traveled through his body, he felt his mind clear up significantly.

He slapped on three more in succession, and after confirming there was nothing wrong with himself, Chen Ci held a Soul Fixing Talisman and began searching the courtyard.

"So this is a Yin spirit? No wonder the He Mountain Sect has the Soul Fixing Talisman as a method to ward off evil. I was just refining some Essence Refining from livestock, and I actually managed to produce a Yin spirit? Don't those fellow disciples who are always practicing evil methods have to rely on Soul Fixing Talismans every single day?"

Chen Ci looked at the pale gray, eerie shadow in front of him, which was slightly illusory and constantly shifting between the faces of pigs, cows, sheep, and horses. He marveled at it, then sent it to the Western Heaven with one Soul Fixing Talisman.

This was his first time encountering a living Yin spirit; the ones refined into form like the Yin Horse Pagoda Lock didn't count.

Its strength was roughly between a martial arts expert and Zhoutian Consummation; a mortal would be no match for it, but it was no match for a cultivator either.

However, Yin spirits were always best when pure. Whether refining Dharma Artifacts or practicing divine abilities, only Yin spirits formed from the resentment and soul of a single creature had value. A Yin spirit like this, mixed with the resentment of too many creatures, was useless; refining it would be a pure waste of Dharma Power.

From now on, every month... no, every ten days, I'll stick a Soul Fixing Talisman on myself to clear away filth. Resentment and evil Qi are things you can't guard against enough.

After dealing with this Yin spirit, Chen Ci entered meditation again to practice the Three Yin True Qi, and sure enough, there was no further discomfort afterward.

Seven days later, Sanyin Temple, the Hour of the Ox.

Chen Ci opened his eyes, slowly withdrawing from his Qi practice, and exhaled a heavy breath of Yin Qi.

Three Yin Qi-Devouring Method: 31/100

"Indeed, on this path of Longevity, every step forward brings its own joy."

A sense of comfort washed over Chen Ci's heart, and he rose to his full height.

He needed to make preparations; within these next two days, he should set off to see what kind of characters his fellow disciples of the He Mountain Sect in Xishan Prefecture really were.

(End of chapter)